Ripon and Ripon Christian have long been adversaries in other sports, but the fledgling football feud has some catching up to do.

They’ll meet for just the 11th time on the gridiron Friday at RC, and this is an opportunity to fan the flames. Week 10 is traditionally reserved for longtime rivals to clash, but this will be the first time ever that Ripon and Ripon Christian are ending the regular season against each other.

And they’ll be grappling for the same prize.

At stake is a likely No. 3 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs. Ripon Christian is currently ranked third in the division by MaxPreps with a 50.45 rating, while Ripon is fourth with a 48.15. The SJS uses MaxPreps rankings to help guide its seeding process.

The No. 3 spot would guarantee the victor a first-round home game while keeping it on the opposite half of the bracket from Liberty Ranch, a favorite to finish the regular season undefeated and with the top seed.

Also on Friday, the oldest rivalry in Manteca takes place in Week 10 for the first time since 2019, as Manteca High heads to East Union. After the 2020 pandemic, Manteca had capped Valley Oak League against Oakdale, the Buffaloes’ oldest rival since 1923.

Manteca, currently seventh, is trying to keep its top-eight position in Division II, the most competitive of the section’s seven brackets. East Union’s spot appears more secure in Division IV, but it could receive a bump up from No. 6 by upsetting one of the top-rated squads in the SJS.

A share of the VOL title is also in play for the Buffaloes, the two outright two-time reigning champs. They’ll need some help from Oakdale, which plays first-place Central Catholic.

Sierra is on the outside looking in for the playoffs but is a shoo-in for one of 29 section bowl games, which are awarded to teams ranked 9-16 in their respective divisions. The Timberwolves host Patterson on Friday. Both are in Division IV, with Sierra ranked 14th and Patterson fifth.

Lathrop is battling for a fourth straight playoff appearance, and may get some big help from a powerhouse to the north. Reigning Division V champion Sutter has replaced Beyer as the Spartans’ Week 10 opponent. Beyer canceled its final two Western Athletic Conference games of the season amid misconduct allegations.

Lathrop is ranked ninth in Division V but expects a ratings boost from facing the No. 3 Huskies, who are undefeated.

River Islands has the awkward Week 10 bye but is sure to be scoreboard watching with hopes of hosting a first-round game. The Riptide, with a 40.98 rating, are ranked No. 4 in Division VII but narrowly ahead of the Southern League’s Denair (40.08) and Mariposa (40.01).

Here’s a closer look at Week 10 match-ups for area teams:

Valley Oak League

Manteca (4-1, 6-3) at East Union (2-3, 5-4): Manteca visits Dino Cunial Stadium well rested off its Week 9 bye.

The Buffaloes have dominated this series, winning 14 straight and 24 of the last 25. They hold a 44-13-1 all-time lead.

In their last outing, the Buffs fended off a late charge from Oakdale for a 43-35. They’ve won six of their last seven, and the lone loss was a to Central Catholic.

East Union has hit its stride after dropping four straight, knocking off Mountain House and Sierra in blowouts the past two weeks. They blanked Sierra last week for their third shutout of the season.

The 59th edition of the Manteca-East Union rivalry won’t be short on offensive talent. Both units are guided by offensive coordinators who were standout quarterbacks for their alma maters — Gino Campiotti for Manteca, and Teejay Gordon at EU.

The Buffaloes are headed by a fourth-year running back Nikko Juarez, who is also one of the top edge rushers in the section with 10 sacks. He’s Manteca’s all-time leader in rushing yards and has 984 yards (7.5 per carry) and 19 touchdowns this year. He’s also involved in the passing game with 17 catches, 219 yards and a touchdown.

Brody Carabello (1,316 passing yards, 12 TDs; 493 rushing yards, six TDs) has been a dynamic dual-threat quarterback aided by the exciting receiving duo of twin brothers Jaylin (45 catches, 604 yards, six TDs) and Jayden Harris (25-444-6).

The Lancers have tinkered all season with their versatile athletes. Dual-threat Bryson Ybarra (761 passing yards, five TDs; 328 rushing yards, eight TDs) and sophomore Dante Tafoya (42-of-56 passing, 675 yards, nine TDs) have been efficient in their timeshare behind center.

They’ve also had a revolving door at running back. Standout linebacker/tight end Erick Cortez (192 rushing yards, three TDs) has emerged in recent weeks as the tough between-the-tackles runner, adding to EU’s stable that includes Albee Menchaca (547 yards, 7.7 per carry, six TDs) and Darrion Brown (449 yards, 6.7 per carry, five TDs).

Speedster Gunnar Fay (37 receptions, 639 yards, nine TDs) has been EU’s main pass-catching threat.

Patterson (2-3, 5-4) at Sierra (1-4, 4-5): Sierra has struggled to get untracked in its first year operating the Gun-T offense. The Timberwolves were shut out the past two weeks in losses to East Union and Central Catholic.

They have averaged just 6.4 points and 116 yards in league games, but receiver Blama Kamara (33 catches, 714 yards, six TDs) has been a bright spot overall.

The defense will look to slow down Patterson’s balanced spread offense featuring dual-threat QB Scout Silva (1,626 passing yards, 17 TDs; 398 rushing yards, five TDs), running back Alex Ventura (864 yards, 6.8 per carry, seven TDs) and receivers Caden Lozano (37 catches, 542 yards, seven TDs) and Jace Johnson (24-421, 5).

Lozano (62 tackles) is also one of the Tigers’ top defensive players

Patterson has won six of seven match-ups with the T’wolves since 2006.

Trans Valley League

Ripon (2-3, 4-5) at Ripon Christian (1-4, 5-4): This started out as a one-sided rivalry, with Ripon winning the first eight games by lopsided scores from 2006-2013.

Ripon Christian returned to the TVL in 2024 and won the last two against Ripon by multi-score margins.

Both teams have sustained injuries to key players throughout the season, but Ripon has reason to believe its peaking at the right time. It stunned two-time reigning state champion Sonora on the road two weeks ago 28-21, then trounced Orestimba, 43-7.

Junior Gavin Duran (19 receptions, 438 yards, two TDs) has emerged as a big-play threat for QB Andrew Shaw (731 passing yards, five TDs; 324 yards, seven TDs). Two-way standout Ace Dougherty (413 rushing yards, four TDs, 98 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and fullback Kael Rangel (446 yards, 7.2 per carry, eight TDs) provide balance in the Gun-T attack.

Ripon Christian dropped its last two against Hughson and undefeated Hilmar in one-sided affairs. The Knights struggled with turnovers (four) in the 41-13 loss at Hughson, while giving up 353 passing yards and five TDs to sophomore QB Hudson Baldwin.

The fly offense has relied on its running game, led by juniors Tyler Van Elderen (405 yards, 4.8 per carry, four TDs) and Talen Tameling (325 yards, 5.8 per carry, three TDs) and an experienced offensive line. The Knights have struggled to finish drives, however, and are held to an average of 8.8 points in league.

Non-league

Lathrop (6-3) at Sutter (9-0): These programs first got acquainted in a postseason classic two years ago. Lathrop lost a 21-19 heartbreaker in the rain-soaked SJS Division V semifinal, and the Huskies went on to lose to top-seeded Hughson 30-29 in the title game.

While the Spartans have reached most of their program milestones in recent years, Sutter has long been a NorCal power starting with its time in the Northern Section. The Huskies have 14 Northern Section championships, and earned its first in the SJS last year. They also won their first NorCal championship last year, ultimately falling to Barstow 17-7 in the Division IV-AA state bowl game.

Sutter has returned its top rusher and defensive players from the historic 2025 team.

Cal-committed defensive end Troy Bowens (42 tackles, 5.0 for losses, 2.0 sacks in four games), Andrew Barker (80 tackles, 7.0 for losses, 3.0 sacks), Kristian Montero (80 tackles, 4.0 for losses) and Kota Bristow (39 tackles, 13.0 for losses, 5.0 sacks in six games) anchor a defensive front that has been part of three shutouts.

The 6-foot, 210-pound Losi Asiata is the section’s leading rusher with (1,765 yards and 29 touchdowns) despite losing a game’s worth of carries with Golden Empire League rival Natomas’ forfeiture last week.